Vegan & Gluten Free Easter Dinner (perfect for any special ocassion)

Usually holidays stress me out.  Either I'm worried about making something that others will like, or I feel bad when I might not be able to eat something that a family member has made for me.  If we go out, the chances of there being something I can eat besides a salad are slim.  I admit:  I have funny tastes.  I love veggies.  I don't eat meat (and for the past four months, haven't eaten eggs or cheese either -- my body truly doesn't enjoy how I feel after eating these delicious goods, sadly).  Sugar doesn't work out for me either.  No peeps.  No rack of lamb or colorful hard-boiled eggs.  Yet, I don't mind.  When I get to cook for myself and go "all out," the stress melts away and I find myself day dreaming about possibilities rather than limitations.

This year, Andrew and I were too busy to meet up with family -- Andrew's bogged down with classes with intimidating names such as "Digital Logic" and "Calculus B" and I've been a busy bee with teaching and my yoga training.  We don't have many weekends together, but this was an off week for training, so we decided to make Sunday a mostly-us day, with a home cooked Easter dinner to look forward to.

We started the day off with a flow yoga class, and then went to our neighborhood Rosemont Market, since not only are they awesome, but they were also the only market in town that was open for the holiday.  After a light lunch, Andrew got to studying and I worked on some artwork and spent some time with my yoga text books in preparation for our midterms next weekend.

Then, the cooking began.  The meal took about 2 hours to create, and it was worth every second in the end.

Eggplant & Mushroom Pie

The menu:

• Eggplant and Mushroom Pie 
• Gluten-free Vegan Garbanzo Bean Quiche
• Buckwheat and various lentils with pecans and olive oil
• Gluten-free and Vegan Carrot Delight Muffins 
• Gluten-free, Sugar free, and Vegan Black Bean and Dark Chocolate Brownies with Date, Pecan, and Orange Zest Frosting  

Andrew and I sat down as the sun was setting, candles lit and dishes spread out before us.  We filled our plates with a little of everything (except the brownies -- those were still cooking while we were eating!) and simply savored every bite.  After a few moments of focused silence on the enjoyment of the tastes we were experiencing, Andrew said, "Now this is great home cooked Italian food."  That sort of made me laugh because this menu is the opposite of what I had traditionally growing up on Easter.  But it was still delightful.

Gluten-free Vegan Garbanzo Bean Quiche (Crustless)

• Various cooked veggies of your choice.  I used broccoli, onions, tomatoes, garlic and yellow squash.  You should have about 3.5 cups, cooked.  Spice with seasonings of your choice.  I used dried basil and ginger.
• 1/4 cup Tomato Sauce of your choice
• 1 1/2 cups plain garbanzo bean flour mixed with just enough water to form a pancake-batter consistency 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.   Lightly grease the bottom of a 9 inch round pie plate with olive oil, and then spread a couple spoonfuls of tomato sauce around the bottom of the plate.  Pour in your vegetables, spreading them out evenly.  Pour your garbanzo bean batter over the vegetable mix.  If a thicker quiche is desired, you could use more garbanzo bean flour and water mixture.  Add any remaining tomato sauce.  Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the garbanzo bean mixture has firmed up and formed a nice crusty layer on top.  Serves 2 hungry folks as a side dish (I guess we were really hungry!)

Gluten-free, almost sugar free, and Vegan Black Bean and Dark Chocolate Brownies with Date, Pecan, and Orange Zest Frosting 

• 2 cups of pre-cooked black beans or 1 can of black beans (I like Eden because they are packed in BPA free cans), drained and rinsed
• 3 tablespoons flax seed plus 6 tablespoons warm water, mixed
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened chocolate, not processed with alkaline
• 1 tablespoon stevia (or sweetener of your choice...add more if you desire!)
• 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 ounces of a dark chocolate bar, cut into small chips.  I used a 91% bar that was made without milk and minimal sugar

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a muffin pan with paper cups.  Combine all ingredients except for the chocolate bar in a blender, and blend.  Add more flour or more milk until a thick fudgy pancake like batter is achieved.  Pour the batter into a mixing bowl, and fold in the chocolate chips, adding more or less, depending on your chocolate needs. Using an ice cream scoop, place the batter into the paper cups in the muffin pan.  Bake for 35 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked.  Yields 12.  These make some wonderfully fudgy brownies, which are perfect plain or topped with...

Date, Pecan, and Orange Zest Frosting

• 6 dates, pitted, and soaked in 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk for 4 hours (or stick the milk and dates in a ramekin and put it in the oven while the brownies are cooking to speed up the soaking process)
• 1/4 cup pecans
• zest from 1/2 an orange
• 2 orange slices

Blend all ingredients, including the almond milk, together. Let set for a bit, and then smear all over the brownies to your heart's content!  Makes enough to frost 12 lightly.

To me, this meal was a celebration.  So many good things are happening in my life right now.  I'm working with more students and love learning along with them. I just started up a new yoga class especially for kids, and yoga teacher training has introduced me to so many new concepts, ideas, and people.  I also have some exciting opportunities lined up for the summer.  There's so much to look forward to, so much springing up and blossoming and blooming.  A holiday is a good excuse to celebrate, to be thankful, and to look forward to times to come.  

What are you looking forward to?

New Places in Town (a 100% vegetable store!!), and the YOGA MAT WINNER!!

So, in case you haven't noticed, I sort of love vegetables.  Perhaps it's an obsession.  Vegetables make up most of my food intake, and I actually ENJOY it.  I look forward to eating them and love going to the market (farmer's market or indoor) to load up my cart with shiny colorful edibles.

Imagine my excitement when one of my favorite local shops, Rosemont Market, opened up a fun little place called Rosemont Produce Company.  Not just a market, but a Produce Company -- meaning, only fruits and veggies (and some flowers, but I like flowers too) are sold there!  Earlier last week, Andrew and I had a surprise day off together.  Visiting the 100% produce store was high on my list, along with checking out a new coffee shop next door.
(For some rocking photos of the exteriors of these shops, check out Portland Daily Photo)

 The concept of the store is to provide fresh veggies, many locally and organically grown, to restaurants in the area and to the general public.  They are located on 5 Commercial Street, which provides quite a lovely view of the waterfront. 

After loading up on as many vegetables as our arms could carry, we headed next door to grab some tea from Crema, which also opened its doors recently.

Andrew veered from his usual green tea and ordered one of the Oolong variety, and I ordered the Winter Spice tea -- you know spices always make me happy. The owners said they were working on getting almond milk as a dairy alternative, which satisfied this soy-free dairy-free tea drinker.

Vegetables + tea + a day with Andrew = a perfect day, in my world.

When we came home, we made a light lunch:  Steamed and seasoned kale, mushrooms, carrots, walnuts, and local black bean tempeh.  It was so satisfying, and such a change to be able to eat lunch together!

And now...for the winner of the Tomuno Yoga Mat:  Christine at Oatmeal in my bowl! Christine, I've sent you an email for further information from you -- Congrats!

YOGA MAT GIVEAWAY & Yoga Teacher Training Experiences

A foodless post...

For the past 2 months, I've been going through a transformational journey.  I was given the opportunity to attend a 200-hour registered yoga teacher training at a studio that I'm proud to call my "home studio" -- the Breathing Room located here in southern Maine.  As someone who got to explore their body's capabilities through dance from a young age, yoga had a natural attraction for me.  I first came to it for the postures -- the movements that bring flexibility, strength, and endurance.  Over time, I slowly began to realize that that there was more to yoga than just the postures.  It encompasses so much more of life -- more than I could ever conceptualize when I attended my first yoga class as a college student.

My fellow YTT friends, with Susan leading me through half-pigeon pose

I see yoga as the marriage between mental awareness and physical awareness.  Through movement of the body and breath, one can find peace, tranquillity, challenge, and determination.  Yoga is my solace.  It both invigorates and calms me, simultaneously.  I feel like yoga serves everyone in the best way in the best time.  Over the past ten years that I have practiced, yoga has taught me a lot about myself.  It has allowed me to see possibilities instead of limits.

I came into the yoga teacher training with the expectation that I would just be learning more about the postures and alignment and how to teach a class.  As someone who has already taught yoga classes to kids, teens, and adults, and as a teacher in general, I thought it would be easy.

I was totally wrong.  It's been hard.  It's also been the most amazing process that I have ever gone through -- it's been a journey that I could never have predicted.  I have learned an abundance of information about myself and about what the word "yoga" embodies.  I have realized that there is no limit to how deep the aspects of yoga goes.  Every time I think I've reached a comfort zone in a posture, I discover that I am in fact able to go deeper.  There's something really beautiful about that.  I have been practicing yoga every day, and witnessing that beauty on a daily basis is an amazing constant to have as a part of my life.

YTT Friends with Larissa offering an assist to me in child's pose

Today we had a workshop with Sue Jones and Alex Amorosi entitled "Authentic Power."  We learned SO much about what it means to be US, what it feels like to embody your true and genuine self, to be self aware, and to bring that to a yoga class while you're teaching.  As yoga teachers, and perhaps in life, we might find ourselves going through a script, wearing a mask, or not wanting to be seen.  We might feel as though are real selves are lost somewhere deep within us.  We might feel insecure about what we know and don't know.  The solution is so simple, yet so hard to grasp and get down to:  we already know all we need to know.  We are already there, within ourselves, waiting to come out and be present.  These are skills and concepts I never anticipated touching on in my yoga teacher training...just another surprise to how transformational this experience really is.

If you'd like to learn more about what the Breathing Room offers in their teacher trainings, check out this informational page.

To celebrate this experience, the folks at Tomuno have partnered up with me to giveaway a really fantastic yoga mat.  I won this mat as a giveaway on Averie Cooks last month, and am so pleased with the mat and it's performance in my yoga practice.  It doesn't smell funky.  It provides a firm foundation with a non-slip surface and a stable yet cushiony support for my body.  Perfect for those with carpal tunnel or knee injuries, these mats are extra thick (5 mm).  Because these mats are made from natural rubber, they are not recommended for hot classes.

Would you like to win a Tomuno yoga mat?  Just follow these steps:
1.  Leave a comment telling me your favorite yoga pose AND a time when you feel your most authentic self
AND
2.  Like Tomuno on Facebook


This giveaway will end Tuesday night at midnight EST, and I will announce the winner on Wednesday.

Namaste and Good Luck!

Gluten Free on the Road: Zoot Coffee in Camden and Hootin' Gluten Free Baked Goods

Hi friends!  I can't believe how much time has passed since my last post.  Life got a little overwhelming.  A family member passed away.  I was told that I had a lump in my breast (which turned out to be fine).  I had my first cold in two years and it was an intense nasal experience.  The feeling of being busy all of the time started to pile up and stress me out.  But recently, things have been falling back into place and settling down...and even looking up!  So Marching onward...and keeping it positive!

A few weeks ago, Andrew and I had a break from school during the same time.  I found a good deal at the Hartstone Inn in Camden, which was a HUGE treat for us.  Camden is one of our favorite places -- it's right near Belfast, which has an amazing health food co-op, and Rockland, which also has an amazing co-op and is home to Rock City Coffee and Yes Yes Books.  Camden is a little town by the water, with a state park for hiking, cute local stores for shopping, and great restaurants for eating. 

And oh, was there eating.  Our most memorable experience came by surprise.  We had been to Zoot Coffee before, but never paid much attention to their menu -- until this visit, when we saw that they were offering a vegan and gluten free quiche made with chickpeas, broccoli, and onions.  Just that alone was enough to make us skip out on the breakfast that the Inn was offering (whoops!) to get a taste of that glorious dish.  It was amazingly flavorful, generous with veggies, and was just as filling as a slice of quiche.  It's definitely on my list of recipes to try to figure out -- I searched online and found similar ones...but none that looked like the one we had at Zoots. 

Also on the menu at Zoots was this gluten-free almond apple cake.  Bitting into it was like bitting into a fluffy piece of almond heaven.  It was warmed up for us and went well with our quiche.  For being made with mostly ground almonds, it was surprisingly light, and had a really fine texture to it.

Then, came second breakfast:  On our way home that morning, we stopped by another fun co-op in Rockland called Good Tern.  There, Andrew and I split a Raspberry Streusel Bar from Hootin' Gluten Free Bakery.  Sugar free and kissed with honey, it was the perfect balance of the silky raspberry and crumbly oats.  I thought that if it had some almond butter, it would be the best nut+jelly "sandwich" ever.

Another treat that I got for myself to save for later on that night after dinner was some chocolate from Righteously Raw.

It was a truffle of sorts, with the raw chocolate hugging a goji berry puree that complemented each other in the best way possible.  I love high percentage raw chocolate, and this might be a new favorite of mine.  Check out their website and read about the ingredients -- I was pretty impressed by the high quality of everything that goes into their products.

It was such a rejuvenating experience in Camden...we came home refreshed and ready to tackle doctor's appointments (me) and loads of homework (Andrew).  We're so lucky here in Maine to have such lovely get-away places within a couple hour's drive!

Now that things have settled down, I hope to get back into posting more!  I have lots of food and yoga related things to share!

Tomato Soup: Loving the Local Produce Scene

Some amazing things are happening: 

1. It's leap year
2. Here in Maine we're getting a snow storm tonight!
3. Spring and warmer weather are right around the corner
4. I've been LOVING my yoga teacher training (more on that soon!)
5. Winter Farmers' Markets in my town are offering such a bounty of produce, it's lovely
6. I got a new cookbook to read over and over:  Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
7. I'm planning a cleanse for March!

What's also been happening is some intense tomato cravings.  I'm not sure what's going on.  Ketchup.  Tomato soup.  Tomato sauce.  I've been totally digging these things, adding them to every meal.  I swear, I'm going to make my millions marketing a ketchup that is sweetened with stevia instead of sugar.  It'd be amazing, I promise.  I decided to look into why one would crave tomatoes...turns out that it can be on account of anemia...which, during one health episode earlier this month, I discovered that I have - again. 

Or, maybe I'm just ready for summer and summer's luscious tomatoes.  Or perhaps I'm just yearning to support the local economy -- at our Winter Farmers' Market, Olivia's Garden sells hot house tomatoes and basil.  Yes, I live in Maine.  I sort of still can't get over that someone is selling tomatoes in the winter.  I'm plenty happy to buy their produce and support them. 

So, I had my tomatoes.  And a new cookbook.  The two married together perfectly -- I was inspired by both to make this Tomato Quinoa soup.  I replaced the semolina with quinoa, added in a few extra herbs, and took out some of the water.  If you like a really smooth soup, I'd suggest that you blend it before adding in the quinoa.  I liked the texture that it had, though.  It was comforting, served alongside some stir-fried veggies on the final days of winter.  The basil, so fresh, really made this dish sing with both fragrance and flavor.  I was also particularly fond of the way the onion added a bit of depth and complexity to the dish.  If you're not such an onion fan, try fennel.  The original recipe calls for cilantro -- so use that if you're not feeling like having some Basil. 

Quinoa Tomato Soup

Inspired by the Tomato, semolina and cilantro soup in Plenty

• 1 teaspoon olive oil or ghee
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons coriander
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons ginger
• 4 tablespoons Italian Seasoning Spice Mix 
• 3 handfuls finely chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 tomatoes, diced and semi-peeled
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups pre cooked quinoa
• salt for garnish

Warm up the olive oil in a good-sized pot.  Add in the onions, garlic, spices, and basil.  Stir around with your favorite wooden spoon for a bit, until the onions are translucent and looking colorful from the spices.  Add in the tomato paste, and let that heat up for a minute or so.  Add in the tomatoes, and stir for another 2-3 minutes.  Add in the water, and bring to a boil, promptly reducing to a simmer.  Let the heat work its magic for 20-30 minutes or so.  Add in your pre-cooked quinoa, and let the two dishes get acquainted with each other.  The quinoa should soak up any water that's hanging out.  If not, save it -- you might want to use it for a veggie stir fry later on, or even to go along with the meal.  Let everything warm up for another 10 minutes.  Add salt and a pinch of stevia if you're feeling like some sweetness needs to happen. 
Serves 2, with just a little bit left over to make a nice sauce.

Waste Not, Want Not: Vegan Quinoa Cakes

Waste not, want not.  It's a philosophy I like to live by.  I try to measure out my grains and eyeball how many veggies I'm cooking so that I make just enough to feed Andrew and I without having much left over.  I put newly purchased food in the back of the refrigerator to ensure that no produce goes bad from sitting around for too long.  I have the luxury of living a few blocks away from a small neighborhood market, a few minutes away from a weekly Winter Farmer's Market and a large grocery store -- I can buy just enough food to last for a couple days, keeping everything fresh and full of nutrients and vibrancy.

In ayurveda, the fresher the food, the better.  Think of a tomato freshly bought from a farmer, versus a tomato that's been sitting on your pantry self (or your refrigerator!) for a week and a half -- you can even just imagine the taste difference between the two.  The fresh tomato, upon first bite, will be superior in nutritional energy -- your tongue can sense it.  Ayurveda recommends not to eat left overs, with the theory that food looses its prana, or energy (here, nutritional and healing energy) after sitting around for a while. 

Everything has its place and time, however.  In my opinion, it's better to make a big pot of soup and enjoy it for lunch for a couple of days than to buy something canned, processed, and full of preservatives.  Sometimes, left overs can't be helped -- maybe you got a little wild and crazy in the kitchen and made too much food.  Perhaps your eyes were bigger than your stomach. This is where my practicality comes in, my mission to waste not and want not.  I try to use left overs as soon as I can, usually in the next meal. 

That's what happened a couple of mornings ago -- I made too much quinoa and had some left over.  Just warming it up along with my usual assortment of vegetables didn't really appeal to me.  I already had my cast iron skillet warmed up, with a batch of these plum cakes just finishing up.  I thought I'd give quinoa cakes a try, and toyed around with a vegan version of these protein packed beauties. 

The ingredients are simple:  some ground flax mixed with a little hot water, apple sauce, and pre-made quinoa.  A little salt, pepper and ginger spiced them up, and some home made basil-accented hummus for extra flavor.  On the rare occasion that I have left over grain, I know what I'm going to do with it!  There's something to satisfying about standing over a heated griddle, waiting for the right time to flip your creation until it's cooked to perfection. 

Vegan Quinoa Cakes

• 2 tablespoons ground flax seed, mixed with 1 tablespoon warm water
• 1 cup pre-cooked quinoa (or 1/2 cup raw quinoa cooked in 1 cup water for about 15 minutes)
• 2 tablespoons Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour -- or 2 tablespoons brown rice flour or garbanzo bean flour
• 2 tablespoons gluten free oatmeal, chopped finely -- this gives the cakes a little more texture and firmness
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 pinch of salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• olive oil, for cooking
• hummus, for topping

Heat up a cast iron skillet on medium.  In a large bowl, combine flax-water mixture, quinoa, flour, oatmeal, ginger, salt, and pepper.   Add in the applesauce, and mix thoroughly.  Splash a teeny bit of water on your skillet -- if the water sizzles and makes a lot of noise and commotion, your skillet is ready!  Pour a little bit of olive oil on the skillet, and place the quinoa mixture by the heaping tablespoon full on the pan.  I was able to fit four at a time on my skillet.  Cook until brown and firm on the bottom, about 6 minutes.  Flip, and cook until the other side has reached a slight crispness.  Top with hummus, and serve with vegetables for a well-rounded breakfast.  Yields 4 patties.

"Perfect" Plum Pudding Pancakes

*Note* I decided not to edit my photos today...I'm working on just letting things "be" and not worrying about perfection as much here.

This morning I woke up with the blissful feeling of having nothing planned for the day.  No where else to be, no appointments or rigid schedule.  For the past couple of weeks, each day has been full to the brim.  Luckily, they've been full of great things -- learning, teaching, healing, and growing.  Still, there's something beautiful and liberating about having a free day, a day to linger in the kitchen, to read a good book, and go for a leisurely walk with friends.

 Despite having nothing urgent or pressing to do, I still woke at 5:30 am, excited to have a yoga and meditation practice without time constraints.  I've been thoroughly enjoying supplementing my own personal practice with one of a few videos from Meghan Currie on myyogaonline.com.  (If you'd like to try myyogaonline.com, click here for a free 2 week trial period)  She moves with such fluid grace that it inspires me to be more creative in my own practice, while also paying close attention to form.  A component of the yoga teacher training program that I am participating in is to establish a daily practice, and it feels so fantastic to know that I need to make this a part of my mornings -- it removes any guilt that I may feel if I think I should be doing something else.  I feel so refreshed when I start my day with yoga and meditation -- it's  such a lovely part of my life.

I always make a super tiny pancake so I can taste it before the others!

 After working up an appetite, I went into the kitchen, knowing that I had plenty of time to cook up a creative breakfast.  I had made these muffins with a plum yesterday evening, and had one luscious black plum left over that was begging to be eaten.  While I'm usually not one to buy or eat fruit besides apples, I couldn't resist these plums and decided they'd make a tasty treat to savor.  This morning, I decided to continue the playfulness of my yoga practice and just make up a pancake of sorts -- one that was warm, full of flavor, yet soft and delicate. I wanted a pudding pancake hybrid.  Somehow, exactly what I was looking for happened -- how fun it is to play and have experiments work out!

"Perfect" Plum Pudding Pancakes

• 1 teaspoon ground flax seed, mixed with 1 teaspoon boiling water
• 1 tablespoon gluten free all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• small pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 plum, diced finely
• oil for your skillet

Heat up a cast iron skillet or stir-fry pan on medium heat with a tablespoon or so of oil.  In a small bowl, mix together ingredients, taking care to fold in the diced plum so as not to lose the integrity of the flesh.  Using a serving spoon, cook the "pudding pancakes" until they are dark brown on one side, and flip until the same color is achieved on the other side.  The goal of these "pancakes" was to be soft and luscious, so be prepared for a different experience than IHOP pancakes!  Drizzle with maple syrup, or smear with apple sauce.  Makes 6-8 small cakes, enough for one main breakfast or to split if being paired with something else.

What would you do if you had a whole day free?